- Pew survey: Global confidence in Trump stands at 23%
Source: USA Today
“President Donald Trump likes to boast that under his leadership, the United States is the ‘hottest and most respected Country anywhere in the World.’ However, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, the president’s approval ratings among adults around the globe are at an all-time low. Pew surveyed 42,151 citizens of 36 nations and found that a mere 23% of international respondents expressed confidence in Trump’s leadership on world affairs, while overall sentiment about the United States is ‘largely negative.’ … According to Pew, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey saw some of the most significant drops in favorable views of the United States, with each tallying double-digit declines over the past year. Of the 36 nations polled, less than 10 view the U.S. favorably. That includes Israel at 81%, followed by 68% of Ghanaians, 63% of Nigerians and Kenyans, 61% of Colombians, 58% of Hungarians and 51% of Peruvians.” (06/24/26)
- In attempt to deflect blame for results of his Iran fiasco, Trump accuses oil companies of “price gouging,” calls for DOJ probe
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had instructed the Justice Department to immediately probe oil companies for not lowering gas prices at the pump in line with falling costs, accusing them of ‘gouging’ consumers. Trump did not name any companies in his late-night message on Truth Social, which was posted shortly after midnight. … the American Petroleum Institute, which represents all of the major U.S. oil and gas companies, said the industry ‘shares the goal of delivering relief at the pump and restoring stability to global energy markets.’ But, ‘gasoline prices don’t move in lockstep with crude oil, especially during a major global disruption that is still affecting supply, refining and inventories,’ API spokesperson Bethany Williams said.” (06/24/26)
- Chinese regime’s advanced aircraft carrier Fujian transits Taiwan Strait amid military drills
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003, transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after Taipei launched a combat readiness exercise. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the Fujian could be heading back to its home port in the southern island province of Hainan for a break before it headed out to the South China Sea for more training. … The transit came a day after Taiwan kicked off a five-day military drill called the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise, an effort meant to boost the island’s ability to quickly move to a wartime footing.” (06/24/26)
- TX: Camp Mystic, following deadly flooding incident, files for bankruptcy
Source: ABC News
“Camp Mystic, the Christian all-girls sleepaway camp, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, according to court records. The Chapter 11 filing comes nearly a year after a deadly flood killed 25 girls and two teen counselors at the camp’s Guadalupe River location, which is located in the Texas Hill Country. According to the Wednesday filing, Camp Mystic has a debt exceeding $10 million. Paul Yetter, an attorney representing seven victims’ families, said in a statement Wednesday, ‘Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable.'” (06/24/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/camp-mystic-site-deadly-texas-flooding-files-bankruptcy/story?id=134165471
- Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: A Fight for Property, Liberty, and the Right to Stay
Source: Liberty International
by Kozeta Çuadari Çika“Albania is experiencing its most significant civic mobilisation since the fall of communism, fuelled by the massive anti-government demonstrations known as the ‘Flamingo Revolution.’ What began as a localised environmental protest against a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort development has escalated into a nationwide revolt. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of all ages are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his administration. The initial catalyst for the unrest was a development project valued at between $4.6 billion and $5.7 billion, backed by Affinity Partners — an investment firm led by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. The project targets the pristine, uninhabited Sazan Island and the environmentally sensitive Vjosa-Narta protected coastal zone near the village of Zvërnec. First of all, major transparency concerns have arisen over how coastal land titles were transferred to private entities.” (06/24/26)
- Rich people are not a problem
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“No one gets to decide what others need. As long as they aren’t stealing it, it’s none of your business. If someone earns a quadrillion dollars by giving customers what they want and by filling a niche, they aren’t a problem. It’s a positive thing for society, and only ignorant people get upset over it. It’s trendy to hate rich people. It’s also incredibly stupid. Most of the people upset over ‘excessive’ wealth — such as the tax-addicted politicians and their followers — contribute nothing. Takers envy makers. For a millionaire politician to demand that a billionaire entrepreneur hand over some percentage of his money is dishonest. The entrepreneur contributes; the politician is a parasite who only takes.” (06/24/26)
- Against Friends, Against Enemies
Source: Liberalism.org
by Jason Kuznicki“Suppose I want commercial pineapple harvesters to enjoy good lives today. Most of them aren’t in Hawaiʻi anymore; they’re in Costa Rica. Should I import my pineapples from them? (Import pineapples? To Hawaiʻi? Surely not.) But to avoid eating imported pineapples impoverishes Costa Rican field hands. It might take away the only work they have, such as it is. When I grow at home, that’s what I’m doing, if only to a tiny degree. Buying from my neighbors, who sell at the farmers’ markets, achieves the same end; the descendants of plantation workers here in Hawaiʻi are usually much wealthier than today’s Costa Rican field hands. Yet if I were to return to the globalized market, I might just fatten some Costa Rican landlords. I want to ask: Where are the limits to any of these intuitions?” (06/24/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/against-friends-against-enemies
- A Republic or an Empire?
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano“In a constitutional republic, government may only take liberty and property pursuant to law and only from those who have consented by granting those powers to the government in the constitution that created it; and any exercise of any powers not consented to by the governed is assaultive of natural rights, is beyond the government’s moral and constitutional authority, is morally illicit and of no legal validity. In an empire, the government has no limits. It does whatever the head of state wants. It denies the enforceability of international norms, enriches itself at the people’s expense, takes property without the consent of the governed, violates natural rights, starts wars to please constituent groups, murders people without trial whom it claims have violated its laws, suppresses foreign people and tells them how to live, and even kidnaps their leaders.” (06/24/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/06/23/a-republic-or-an-empire
- How does the First Amendment apply to AI?
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Education
by Tyler Tone“Far from authorless, AI models are built by a long chain of expressive decisions meriting First Amendment coverage.” (06/24/26)
- Arkansas schools teachers’ unions, proves education can be improved
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jonathan Turley“For years, I have been writing about the decline of public education in the United States. The political power of teachers[‘] unions led to bloated budgets as schools pursued ideological agendas over educational advancements. Despite massive budgets, scores of students in major cities have continued to plummet or remain at the same dismal levels. Now, Arkansas has shown what is possible if officials put education first. Scores in the state have soared after the implementation of reforms that many of us have advocated for years. It also shows that state governments, not the federal government, are critical to reversing our slide in educational performance as the administration moves toward eliminating the Department of Education. Arkansas implemented a new program and testing protocol called the ‘Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System’, or ATLAS, with a mix of higher pay for teachers, performance-based bonuses and a voucher system for families.” (06/24/26)
- To celebrate the joy of baby banks
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall“Some are deluded enough to think that this is a problem: ‘About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year’ … This is, of course, a glory of our society. Babbies and their mothers are supported. This is achieved entirely by the efforts of society itself, the little platoons. There is no intervention by the Lanyard Class, no compulsory confiscation to pay for it all, just Britons geting together to aid Britons. How glorious it is etc. … The correct response to this is to send ‘em the occasional £50 and leave well alone. Why mess with what works?” (06/24/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/to-celebrate-the-joy-of-baby-banks
- Independence Through an Economist’s Eyes
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco“While the Declaration of Independence is frequently lauded as a masterpiece of political philosophy, I have always held that beneath its revolutionary rhetoric lies a sophisticated blueprint for a liberal economic order. Far from a mere catalog of political grievances, the document functions as a definitive rejection of the British economic system, asserting that the ‘pursuit of happiness’ is inextricably linked to the individual’s right to self-ownership, vocation, and the unencumbered exchange of labor. By grounding the legitimacy of government in the protection of pre-political, unalienable rights — most notably the security of property against arbitrary taxation and the freedom to trade with ‘all parts of the world’ — Jefferson and the Continental Congress established the moral and legal infrastructure necessary for a spontaneous market order.” (06/24/26)
https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/independence-through-an-economists-eyes/
- The Polite Kind Of Racism
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“There are two types of racism in the west: the kind that’s considered acceptable in polite liberal society, and the kind that’s widely frowned upon. The acceptable type of racism is the kind which considers it fine and normal to drop bombs on Muslim families overseas. The kind which sees starvation sanctions as a minor issue whose pros and cons are assessed solely on the basis of whether they will be successful or unsuccessful in achieving regime change. The kind which views imperialist extraction from the global south as the natural order of the world, with centrists and progressives squabbling only about how evenly that plunder should be distributed among westerners. The unacceptable type of racism is the kind which affects other westerners. The kind whose consequences western liberals have to see.” [editor’s note: Muslims aren’t a race – TLK] (06/24/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/24/the-polite-kind-of-racism/
- Turning Back the Free Speech Recession
Source: Law & Liberty
by Adam Tomkins“The principal argument of The Future of Free Speech is that, when compared with this ‘golden age’ of the late twentieth century, free speech is now ‘in recession.’ The authors are impassioned about this. They lament it at length, and in the final (short) section of the book, they offer what they consider to be a better way ahead. The success (or otherwise) of this book hinges far more on the accuracy and quality of the authors’ account of the present than it does on their proposals for the future (which occupy only its last forty or so pages). Sadly, the authors are unpersuasive. This is not only because of their addiction to jet-setting. It is also due to their treatment being somewhat scattergun and to it being overly one-sided.” (06/24/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/turning-back-the-free-speech-recession/
- Mayor Brandon Johnson declares “transfemicide” crisis, ignores hundreds of black deaths
Source: New York Post
by Karol Markowicz“Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town: Or it was some time ago when Frank Sinatra sang about it. Now it’s in the throes of something called a ‘Transfemicide State of Emergency’, according to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, with no time for a little toddling around the dance floor. Posting to his X account, Johnson announced in all apparent seriousness: ‘Since declaring a Transfemicide State of Emergency, our administration has strengthened the City’s capacity to support LGBTQ+ Chicagoans.’ … You may think such a thing is necessary because of the many, many murders of trans Chicagoans happening daily. In fact, only one trans person was killed in Chicago in all of last year — and the incident appears to have been a matter of domestic violence unrelated to their trans status.” (06/23/26)
- New Modes and Orders?
Source: Law & Liberty
by Michael Lucchese“Even as we love the past, the future is not something to be feared—it is something to be redeemed.” (06/24/26)
- Trillionaire Entrepreneurs, Forgotten Risks, and the Politics of Envy
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stefan Bartl“Once entrepreneurial success arrives, few recall the risks, ridicule, failed ventures, sleepless nights, and near-disasters that came before.” (06/24/26)
- Democrats Should Embrace a Deal That Brings Trump’s Iran War to an End
Source: The Progressive
by Stephen Zunes“Many of the criticisms being leveled against the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran (namely, that it is not that great a deal) are accurate and worthy of attention. But under the disastrous set of circumstances resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is probably the best deal that can be realistically hoped for, given that Iran clearly has the upper hand. Unfortunately, that has not stopped some Washington politicians, including many prominent Democrats, from attempting to undermine it.” (06/23/26)
https://progressive.org/latest/trumps-deal-with-iran-is-good-enough-zunes-20260623/
- The Political Orphanage, 06/24/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Zuby Grew up in a Company Town.” (06/24/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/zuby-grew-up-in-a-company-town
- Reason Interview: Jack Clark
Source: Reason
“Is AI Really Taking All the Jobs? Anthropic Co-Founder Reveals the Data.” (06/24/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/24/anthropic-co-founder-the-most-powerful-technology-ever-built/
- Rising, 06/24/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave delivers his radar responding to podcaster Theo Von’s latest viral clip where he takes a hardline stance against data centers.” (06/24/26)
- Half the Answer, episode 89
Source: Liberal Currents
“How did sports betting burst onto the scene so violently in the last half-decade? Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, explains the legal, regulatory and business changes that have led us here.” (06/24/26)